The last of the Morgans walked down the patio. Damien closed the door and studied Serenity. She looked exhausted, with bags under her eyes, but she nodded at him and immediately launched into getting him a glass of wine. He followed her and took her hand so she put the clean glass down at the bar. "Your family is quite large. I wasn't expecting so many people, but everyone was wonderful."
She was a good girl. It was part of her and she'd be a great mother though he'd have to watch his heart. He traced her arm, up to her shoulder. "You were gracious and kind to everyone. Now let's talk about tonight. Would you want to sleep alone until tomorrow?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "So you're going to honor my chastity now?"
Tomorrow she’d become his wife and he'd prefer her not to be a zombie walking toward him. He turned to get her out of the living area and up the stairs. "The wedding will be a long affair. My last name is Morgan, which everyone now recognizes me as one, so you might need a lot of sleep beforehand to keep up."
She took her hand back and hugged her waist. "If it's okay, I'd like for us to talk alone. Can we sit on the couch?"
Talking was good to a point. He nodded and tugged his collar, ready to relax. "I need to take my shoes off and change my shirt. Can we talk upstairs? I'll bring an open bottle of apple cider for us to finish."
"Yes. Sounds perfect." She passed him, and took two glasses from the bar. He grabbed an opened bottle of white apple cider that looked like champagne he saw her sipping earlier and led her up the stairs to his bedroom.
She slowed near the door of his bedroom, and he went in before her, setting the bottle on a night stand as he kicked off his shoes. She came in and closed the door, but instead of reacting, he unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it on the chair. "Okay, what's going on?"
"I spoke to Tracy tonight." She sat on the edge of his bed.
He took the glasses from her hand and poured the sparkling cider, determined not to get angry. "Tracy Carlton?"
She accepted the glass he offered and stared at him with huge blue eyes as he sat beside her. "She said when you broke up, you sought vengeance against her family and humiliated her father, mother and her all because she didn't love you the way you wanted."
He sipped, though the juice was sweeter than his personal preference, and shook his head. "She taught me to never believe a good girl's heart was anything other than poison."
She lowered her gaze. "I hope my heart isn't full of poison. Did you seek out her family for revenge?"
Serenity was queen of the good girls and they both knew it. He decided to be completely honest. "No, but my father did."
"Your father, Mitch Morgan?" She looked at him in disbelief.
This wasn't something he’d ever discussed. He gulped the last of his glass and focused on the blue wall across from his bed. He wished this sounded better, but he told her the truth. "Mitch Morgan, dear old dad. I was young and stupid enough to tell my mother that the woman I thought I loved didn't love me. I heard Tracy telling her friends how she was using me. I was twenty-one and confided in my mother. I didn't know my father heard any of it until he told me he set her father up six months later."
“You didn’t do it, then.” She sipped her almost full glass and stared into the liquid. "Why are you targeting this Gilbert guy? How is he like your father?"
He brushed his hand on her exposed leg that was tucked between them. "Our fathers. He breaks the law and gets away with it because he has money and connections."
She swiveled, put the other leg on the bed and asked, "Is that why you investigated my father?"
"I hoped your father wasn't like mine, or at least as smart as mine." Every word tasted bitter in his throat. If he had his way, his own father would have been the true target. He reached behind his neck and stretched. "I have been searching for evidence for years against Mitch. Other than what he did to his family, I've never uncovered any other crimes. My mother, my sister, we all suffered because he took Catherine from us and told us she died in a fire."
She placed her glass down and put her fingers on his thigh. "That's awful. I'm so sorry.” Serenity sighed. “My father ignored me most of my life, which hurt in the moment—but not like what you survived."
If he’d hurt Serenity, then her father got what he deserved. He ran his hand through her beautiful blonde hair. "He ignored you?"
She leaned into his touch. "Serena was the crowd favorite. She's the lively, beautiful one that my parents doted on. She could have anything she wanted, do anything she wanted and they loved her more for her audaciousness. With me, it didn't matter what I did because I wasn't Serena. I was the boring, serious one. You saw how my mother was so eager to marry me off to you."
“Or maybe your mom saw I was a good choice for you.” With every word she took his anger away. He knew what he felt was an illusion, but for now he let the wave overtake him. His lips curved into a smile. "But I wouldn’t know how it was for you. My mother never favored any one boy over the other, though we accuse each other of being the favorite."
She sat back but stayed close to him. "This isn't jealousy. It's fact. I was an accident. They raised me, yes, but I was never enough. When my sister went to jail, it was the end for my mother until I finally agreed to be a good girl and marry you."
Laughter burst through him at the idea that Serenity wasn't the angel she seemed. "Wait, so you're not always a good girl?"
She made a face like she hated the word too. "Not to my parents, though nobody else ever complained."
He didn’t dare believe that what he felt could be real. He hugged her and unzipped the top of her dress. "I think I'll like you better if you're not a good girl."
She sucked in her breath and stood from the bed. She stared at him, unsure. He didn't move, half out of fear she'd run from his room. "Tonight, let's just sleep. Tomorrow is soon enough for more."
"Agreed." He nodded. "Besides, you and me, together, will be an adventure."
"I'm glad we talked." She took her dress off. He unbuttoned his pants and opened his bed sheets for her. She walked over and slipped in, though she wore her panties and bra still.
On a whim, he tossed his underwear and went into bed beside her.
Lying next to her without satisfying his desires, their desires, might kill him. He hugged her closer. "I'll be happier without this bra between us."
She laughed, but then widened her eyes and tossed her bra and underwear beside the bed. She flipped toward him and his heart stopped at the vision of beauty. Her blonde hair on the pillow beside him. "You better now?"
The twelve-year-old boy who still lived in his soul reached out and traced her body, despite the man’s warning. Serenity was his treasure and he'd ensure that she went to bed satisfied, every night from now on. "Naked is definitely better. Tomorrow, after the wedding, I'll be sure you get properly touched everywhere, my polite lady."
"Good night, Damien." She closed her eyes.
Tonight was going to be the hardest night of his life, sleeping beside her without claiming her. Tomorrow, on his plane, to wherever she wanted to go, he'd ensure absolute privacy and fill her body with pleasure. Last time, she’d been so passionate. This time, they'd both take their fill and his need for her grew with every breath she took beside him. Now this angel was his, forever.